Earth Day
by xoxoRuflyGirl
Summary: Hope and Aiden go to the Horton cabin together and get into a series of incidents. Inspired by Captain Planet with earth fire, wind, water, heart.
_Earth..._

"Thanks for bringing me out to the Horton cabin with you, Baby. I feel honored to be brought out here with you." Aiden placed an arm around Hope as they headed to the cabin.

"I'm madly in love with you, Mr. Jennings. Why wouldn't I bring you out here?" Hope asked. She stopped him at the doorway, grinned at him, and then kissed him hard on the lips, ending with a loud "Muah!"

Aiden grinned at her, then pulled her in for a proper kiss.

Hope moaned as he slowly kissed her, his tongue playing hers.

She rested her forehead against his. "We must do what we came here to do first before this goes any further," she murmured.

Aiden raised an eyebrow. "This _is_ what I came here to do." He placed his hands over her waist. "Well, what it leads up to anyway."

She smirked. "There will be plenty of time for that later. First, I want to plant the trees and flowers before it gets dark out." She put the key in the door and opened it up.

They walked into the cabin.

"It's stuffy in here. Let's open some windows," Hope said as she began to open windows.

Aiden helped her open all the windows.

Once the windows were open, they brought their bags upstairs.

"All right! Let's get to planting. Jen says the trees and everything are in the shed out back. She just placed them there earlier this morning for us," Hope explained once they had gotten settled.

Jennifer had wanted to do something for her family's cabin on Earth Day, so she was going to plant some trees and flowers to make the surrounding area a little more beautiful. Hope had agreed to help her. However, at the last minute, Chad had to go out of town for a business meeting, and Abby was sick with the flue. So, Jennifer had to go help take care of Abigail and of course little Thomas. Aiden had heard of their predicament, had some time on his hands, and agreed to help Hope do the planting in place of Jennifer.

"I don't get why we have to plant the trees. The flowers I get. They're pretty. But this place is surrounded by trees. It's in the forest for goodness sake! Why do we need to plant trees?" Aiden asked.

Hope smirked at him. "For one, planting trees is a wonderful thing to do on Earth Day. For two, Jen wanted a nice little apple tree in her front yard, and a weeping willow in her back yard. Trees look nicest when they are in a yard. It makes the place homier."

"Well, let's get to it then before the sun goes down. It looks like it's already starting to," Aiden said, looking out at the partly cloudy sky.

"It's only four o'clock! Spring is supposed to stay lighter later, but it sure doesn't look like it will today," Hope said, also looking out the window.

They headed out back to the shed, and got to planting the weeping willow tree first. It was just a baby tree so far, but it was still much larger than the apple tree. They dug the hole first right behind the pond in the backyard. Then, together they planted the tree. Aiden held the tree upright while Hope filled in the hole and packed it tightly.

"We make a good team," Aiden said; grinning at her.

Hope smirked. "I could have told you that!"

They then headed to the front where they planted the apple tree in the same fashion, only this time, Hope held the tree while Aiden buried the roots.

"Where should we plant the flowers?" Aiden asked.

"All around the cabin," Hope replied.

They went back into the shed and took out the flowers.

"I bet you anything you were the one to pick these out," Aiden said, holding up the pink and the purple tulips.

Hope smiled brightly. "You remembered they're my favorite!" She picked up the red tulips, the orange tulips, and the yellow tulips.

"I always take note about the things you love and store them up here," Aiden said, pointing to his temple. "We'll have to come back for the poppies."

Hope nodded her agreement, then kissed his cheek. "You're such a good boyfriend."

"Back at ya!" Aiden said to Hope.

Hope raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm such a good boyfriend?"

Aiden rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

They grinned at each other and kissed, then went to plant the flowers.

 **~**Earth**~**

A half hour later, the flowers were spread all around the cabin with the tulips all along the sides of the cabin, and the poppies lining the front and back of the cabin.

"We forgot one. There's a space right here," Hope said, picking up the last purple tulip, and planting it in between a pink and yellow tulip.

Aiden placed his hands over hers as she covered up the roots.

She smiled at him as they finished planting it together, making sure it was tightly packed in.

"Do you like tulips now?" she asked.

Aiden shrugged. "They're all right. They're pretty. I do like the purple ones." He then turned to her. "But I still love your two lips the best."

She grinned. "Oh yeah?"

He moved in closer to her, his eyes lowering with love. "Yeah."

"Mm…" she moaned before pulling him in for a soft kiss. "I love yours too…" she murmured.

He then gently pushed her down onto her back then lay on top of her as they continued to kiss. She was wearing blue jeans and a little pink top that was slightly too short on her and was now riding up on her. Aiden gently ran his hands up the naked skin of her sides.

She moaned, and ran her hands up the back of his blue t-shirt as their kisses intensified.

Suddenly, a gust of wind hit them, sending shivers up their spines despite their bodies starting to heat up due to their little make out session.

They smiled at each other, and nuzzled noses.

"Wanna have our picnic now before it gets too cold?" Hope asked. She looked at her watch. "It's just after six now."

Aiden nodded. "Sounds good, but we better wash our hands first after digging in the dirt."

"Good thinking!" Hope said with a smirk.

Aiden helped her up. "I do love how tightly that pink shirt fits you," he told her.

Hope blushed.

They headed back into the cabin, then washed their hands. After that, they brought their picnic basket and blanket out and set up in the back yard.

"Wouldn't this be so much nicer if that Weeping Willow was full size and we could eat under it?" Hope asked as they ate their egg salad sandwiches.

Aiden shrugged. "I honestly don't care where we eat or what surrounds us as long as I'm here with you."

Hope kissed his cheek. "Great answer!"

"It's true," Aiden assured her kissing her cheek back.

They made small-talk and enjoyed their time together as they finished their sandwiches. They also had chips and water. For dessert, they had then milk and brownies.

"It was so nice of Jennifer to make us this dinner to thank us for doing this for her," Hope commented.

Aiden nodded. "It saved us the trouble of having to bring something over. The milk might not have kept."

Hope nodded as well. "True." Suddenly, there was another strong gust of wind.

Hope rubbed her arms. "It's suddenly starting to get cold out here. It was so warm when we got here."

"We're finished with dinner and dessert anyway. Wanna head back in now?" Aiden asked.

Hope nodded. "We can start the fireplace."

"Is there any firewood?" Aiden asked.

Hope nodded.

"Perfect!" Aiden said as he began to gather up their things.

"Out there," Hope then added, motioning out to the forest.

Aiden stopped what he was doing and looked out toward the woods. "Out there? There's none inside?"

Hope shrugged and shook her head. "Sorry. It's April. Jen usually doesn't restock until right before winter, then the wood gets used up during the winter." She smirked Rafe and Chase once took what was in the shed and tried to pretend they gathered it in the woods themselves."

Aiden looked at Hope in alarm. "You took Rafe here too? With my son?"

Hope sighed. "It's a long story, but yes. It was supposed to be just Ciara, Chase, and me, but Ciara invited Rafe. I needed a friend at the time, and I felt bad retracting Ciara's offer, so he came along. We didn't even get to stay the night though. Ciara found out Chase was bullying Theo and Chase ran off. He had gone back home so we left too."

Aiden hung his head. "And here I thought I was the only one you took here. Well, besides Bo of course."

"Hey." Hope gently lifted Aiden's chin with her right index finger and thumb. "At the time, I brought Rafe as a friend. I brought you as the man I'm crazy mad nuts over. All right?" She smiled at him.

Aiden smiled at her in return. "Crazy mad nuts, huh?"

Hope nodded. "Tonight I'll show you just how much that is," she purred into his ear.

Aiden moaned. "I'll go get the firewood."

"I can help you," Hope offered.

Aiden shook his head and stood up. "That's okay. I don't need any help. I'm man enough, and unlike Rafe, I don't need the help, nor do I need to cheat and get it from the shed. You just bring our stuff in. I'll be back in a jiff."

Hope crossed her arms over her chest. "If you say so…"

"I do!" He said. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, then took off to get firewood, whistling a happy toon.

Hope watched him leave. She smiled to herself and shook her head. For some reason she couldn't see him getting a bunch of heavy firewood on his own, but she would see. She picked up their blanket and their picnic basket full of their trash, and headed back into the cabin.

 _Fire…_

Aiden supposed he should have thought to bring something to carry the wood in. He found a lot of sticks and twigs, but there were no logs or anything that substantial. Now he was beginning to regret telling Hope he didn't need any help. He thought about going back and asking her for her help, but then he thought of his bragging to her that he didn't need help like Rafe did.

"Stupid Rafe taking all of the premade firewood," he grumbled.

He headed back to the shed and searched around until he found an empty wooden crate. He then grabbed it and headed over to the other side of the woods.

He did some searching, and it took him a good fifteen minutes, but he eventually was able to find a sufficient amount of firewood. He headed back into the cabin.

Hope was sitting on the couch waiting for him, and looked up from the book she was reading. "Did you find enough firewood?" she smiled.

Aiden hesitated. "Uh, yes! This should be enough."

Hope raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

Aiden nodded.

"Well, since you're good, do you might starting the fire while I go slip into something more comfortable?" Hope asked, setting the book she had been reading down on the coffee table.

Aiden set the crate with the wood down, then walked over to her and pulled her close. "As long as I get to slip into something more comfortable too," he murmured. He gently ground himself against her to make sure she got the picture loud and clear exactly what it was he had in mind.

She smirked, then murmured in his ear, "You can count on it!"

He moaned as she smiled over her shoulder at him.

"I closed all the windows so the draft won't blow the fire out," she said before disappearing up the stairs to get ready.

Aiden watched her until she disappeared up the stairs, then he ran back over to the crate and dumped the wood he had found into the fireplace.

He moved it around with the poker, but sadly it wasn't as much as he had hoped it would be. However, it would do.

He found the lighter on the mantle and lit the wood. Unfortunately, what little flame he managed to get, burned out almost right away.

He sighed, and tried again, but still, he couldn't get the flame to grow, let alone stay. He looked for some fuel to help get it going, but couldn't find any. Suddenly, his eyes fell upon a perfume bottle that was setting on the table. He figured it wouldn't hurt to use just enough to get the fire started. After all, he knew it would be flammable. So he spritzed the wood with the perfume, then set the perfume bottle side and lit the logs again.

Suddenly, the logs were ablaze, and the room started to fill up with smoke. The air was filled with the smell of perfume and smoke.

 **~**Fire**~**

"Uh, Hope… Hope, help!" Aiden called out. He coughed.

Hope ran down the stairs in a sexy pink negligée that normally would have had Aiden devouring her in a heartbeat. However, all he could concentrate on now was the fact that the fire was going to devour them both if they didn't get it under wraps!

"Aiden, what did you do? Didn't you open the damper?" Hope asked.

Aiden paused. "The what?"

"Oh my gosh, Aiden!" Hope scolded. She ran to the sink and pulled out the fire extinguisher. She then put out the fire in the fireplace. Thankfully, it extinguished pretty quickly.

"You have to open the damper first so that the smoke doesn't fill the room," Hope said as she walked over to the fire place and did something that Aiden assumed was opening the damper. "Didn't you know that?"

"I didn't even know what a damper was," Aiden admitted with a shrug. He blushed. He was embarrassed to say the least. Here Hope was nice enough to bring him out to her family's cabin, and what did he do? He nearly burnt it down.

"Didn't you start fires in your beach house fireplace?" Hope asked.

Aiden shook his head. "Meredith and I were never at a cozy up by the fireplace type of couple."

"Well, surely you have dealt with a fireplace before," Hope said.

Aiden shook his head. "Other than the beach house, I never had one, and when I was at a place with one, I was never the one who had to light it. Honestly, I just figured you put some wood in, made sure it got lit, and that was all there was to it."

Hope coughed, as did Aiden. The smoke was getting to them.

"I know it's getting cold out, but we're going to have to open all the windows again and even the door for a moment," Hope said.

Aiden nodded, and opened the door. Then, he went around helping Hope open all the windows.

"What a mess! How did the fire get so big anyway?" Hope walked over to the fireplace and sniffed. "Is that my perfume?"

Aiden smiled weakly, and felt his cheeks burning hot. "I used a little of it to start the fire. The lighter wasn't working well enough."

"Aiden! Do you know how dangerous that is? You're only supposed to use twigs and newspaper as fuel! And the lighter is for the candles. You're supposed to use the long matches to light the fires," Hope scolded. "You're lucky you didn't burn yourself." She shivered, then grabbed the rag bag from the cupboard under the sink. "We need to clean this mess up."

Aiden knelt down in front of the fireplace with her and helped her clean up the mess the fire extinguisher had made. "I'm sorry. I'm so stupid. What man doesn't know how to use a fireplace? Even Rafe knows how."

Hope sighed, and looked at him with pity. "Don't beat yourself up over it. If it makes you feel any better, Rafe didn't know how to fish. I had to teach him."

"It would if I knew how to fish, but I don't. I'm not much of an outdoors person," Aiden said.

"Well, I can teach you how to start a fire, and then you'll know!" Hope said kindly.

"I suppose," Aiden said.

They cleaned the fireplace in silence. Aiden was too embarrassed to say much.

It took them a half hour, and by the time they finished they were freezing, but they managed to get all the white foam off the fire place. They even managed to remove the excess soot.

Hope tossed the dirty rags in the hamper, then put the rag bag back under the sink. She then turned around to face Aiden. "You got soot all over you. Why don't you go get cleaned up and I'll get our fireplace situation fixed? I can show you how another time."

"There isn't much firewood to be found out there, and the sun will be going down soon," Aiden said to her.

Hope smirked. "That's okay. I know where to find some good firewood. I'm sorry. I should have at least led you in the right direction," she said. She brought over the crate and loaded it with all the wood that Aiden had put in the fireplace. It was useless now. "I'll get rid of this," she said.

"Just tell me where to look. I'll go get it. You're in your night gown," Aiden reminded her.

"No one's around to see. I know right where it is. I can get it quicker," Hope insisted.

"At least put a coat on. It's got to be freezing out there in your nightgown," Aiden said, feeling bad.

Hope put her coat on. "I'll be quick." She then left, shutting the door behind her.

The smoke had thankfully cleared from the cabin, so Aiden closed all the windows. Then, with a sigh, he headed up the stairs to get clean. He couldn't believe he had been so dumb about the fireplace. He repeatedly slapped his forehead. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he said as he headed up the stairs.

Meanwhile, Hope pulled her coat tighter around her. It was really getting windy out. It was freezing! It would also be dark within the next ten minutes or less, she knew. She would have to hurry.

 _Wind…_

Hope gathered all the firewood, and was headed back to the house when she saw that the wind had blown the apple tree down. "Oh no!" she said, putting the crate with the new wood down. She looked out back and was glad the weeping willow had stayed put at least.

She quickly headed to the shed and got out the shovel, then she went back to the tree out front. She moved the tree out of the way, even though it was a struggle. Then, she went to work at digging the hole a little bigger.

Meanwhile, Aiden had finished getting cleaned up. He was in a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, and a robe when he came back down the stairs. "I'm ready for you, Baby. Did you get the firewood?" He looked around and was surprised to see that Hope was nowhere to be found. He had been upstairs a good twenty minutes. He had expected Hope to not only be back, but also to already have the fire started. He went to the door and opened it. "Hope?" He was blasted with a gust of wind that made him shiver. He then saw Hope in her nightgown and coat, shoveling a bigger hole where their apple tree was no longer standing. "Hope!"

Aiden headed out of the cabin, and ran over to Hope. "Baby, what happened?"

Hope looked over her shoulder at him. "The wind blew the tree down! I had to dig a deeper hole so it will stay this time."

"Baby, here. Let me. You should have called me to do this. You must be freezing!" He took the shovel from her and began to dig. She had done a good job so far, but he decided to dig a foot or two more.

"I can do it. I'm on the police force." She smirked at him. "You don't get on the force without being strong." She nodded at him. "Anyway, you don't look much warmer!"

Aiden kept digging, glad that the earth was soft enough that it wasn't too much of a struggle. He knew Rafe was stronger than him and it bugged him…so much. He had to at least make Hope believe he was macho, or at the very least, semi-macho.

"I think that's good," Hope said. She began to pick up the tree.

"I can help you with that," Aiden offered.

"I got it," she insisted. She held the tree in place, and Aiden shoved the dirt into the hole. He then packed the dirt tightly around the tree with the shovel.

"I think we got it!" Hope said.

"I'll go put the shovel back in the shed. You go back in and get warm," Aiden ordered. He dropped the shovel then pulled her close, rubbing his arms up and down over her shoulders.

"Hurry up. We may have the fire, but it's really you that keeps me the most warm," she murmured in his ear.

Aiden's eyes lowered with love for her and, with his arms still wrapped tightly around her, he kissed her lovingly on the lips.

Hope took placed her arms around him and lovingly kissed him back, the wind blowing both of their hair as they kissed.

Hope then grabbed the wood crate and headed into the cabin to start the fire while Aiden went to put the shovel back.

 **~**Wind**~**

By the time Aiden got back into the cabin, Hope was already lighting the fire and having no trouble with it.

"I don't know why it lights so well for you but not for me," Aiden told her, taking off his robe and draping it over the couch.

Hope, her coat also discarded, smiled at him. "It helps to have old newspaper on top to get it started. Also the long matches work a lot better than a candle lighter." She winked at him. "And I have the damper open and the wood laid just right."

"Who would have thought there'd be so much detail in simply starting a fireplace fire?" Aiden asked. He picked up the folded flannel blanket from the couch and laid it down on the floor.

There are extra pillows and blankets in the closet over there," Hope said, nodding toward the coat closet as she poked at the logs with the poker.

Aiden went into the closet and took out two pillows and a couple more blankets. He then laid them out in front of the fireplace on top of the flannel blanket, making a makeshift bed.

Hope put the poker back, then sat down on the blankets, holding her arms out to Aiden.

Aiden sat down beside her and pulled her into his arms. "Feel warmer now?" her murmured as he held her in his lap. Her back was to his chest as he rubbed her arms, his chin resting on top of her head.

"Mm, much," Hope said then resting her head on his shoulder. She looked up at him and they kissed, the fire crackling behind them.

"That wind is so nasty out there! It feels more like winter than spring almost. It was so warm earlier. I don't know how the weather changed so fast," Aiden said.

"I'm just glad we were able to get the flowers and trees planted before it got cold," Hope replied.

"Except for the apple tree that fell," Aiden reminded her.

"Luckily, it didn't take too long to fix it. Still, I'm chilled to the bone just from being out there that short time." Hope shivered despite the fire beside her.

Aiden ran his hands over her shoulders. "You really are freezing, Baby. I guess I'm just going to have to figure out a way to warm you up." He began kissing down the side of her neck.

She closed her eyes and smiled, tangling her fingers in his hair. "Mm…It's working already."

Aiden moved her straps off her shoulders and kissed her bare shoulder as he exposed it. He then lifted the nightgown over her head, and she lifted her arms to help him.

He tossed the nightgown toward the couch.

Hope pulled him closer. She was now on her knees. "Now it's your turn, Mr. Jennings." She tugged at the hemline of his maroon t-shirt, and he lifted his arms and let her pull it off him.

He kissed her passionately on the mouth and gently laid her backwards down onto her back. He ran his hands slowly down her sides. "I must say though, I do love what the cold does to these…" He took her right breast into his mouth before moving onto the left.

She moaned, her fingers tangling in his hair again. "You're such a pervert!" Her tone showed she didn't really mind.

He grinned down at her and wriggled his eyebrows at her. "With a sexy lady love like mine, can you blame me?"

She grinned. "I have a pretty sexy man myself." She ran her fingers through his hair. It was getting longer again and she loved it!

Aiden gently stroked her cheek. "In all seriousness, Hope, I just love you. I love everything about you; not just your body. You're so perfect. I swear I still don't know how I got to be so lucky."

Hope took his face between her hands. "I'm the lucky one."

Aiden's eyes lowered with love for her. "I am. Always." He leaned down and kissed her.

She moaned and hungrily kissed her back as she tugged at his shorts.

Together, they got Aiden's shorts off and tossed to the side.

Aiden could feel her body rapidly warming up beneath him. He slowly pulled off her underwear and let them end up with her nightgown. He then began to make love to her. He took her hand in his own as he moved over her, wanting to pleasure her as much as he could. He wanted to show her with more than just words how much he truly loved her. He kissed her neck, her cheeks, and her lips as he held her close, occasionally and gently fondling her breasts.

The fire crackled, keeping them warm, but they didn't really need the fire to keep warm anymore. Now it was mainly for the beauty.

As Hope moved their position so that she was on top of him, staring down at him with her big beautiful green eyes, her hair brushing back and forth over his shoulders as she moved over him, Aiden knew that he really didn't need the fireplace for beauty either. He already had the beauty right above him.

When they reached their climaxes they remained in each other's arms for a while, kissing and not wanting to break free from the other. However, Hope eventually laid down beside him, though she rested her head and hand on his chest.

Aiden held her close, gently dragging his fingertips up and down her back. "Feel warmer now?" he asked before kissing the top of her head.

Hope closed her eyes. "Mm… Yes! I feel so much better now.

"Mm I'm glad to hear it," Aiden said, still slowly running his fingertips up and down her back. She looked into his eyes. "I love you, Mr. Jennings…. So much!"

Aiden looked at her, his eyes lowered with love for her. "And I love _you_ so much, Baby. More than you could ever know."

They kissed.

Hope then stretched. "Care to take a shower with me?" She then purred into his ear. "You know I always need you to wash my back…and if you're a good boy, maybe some other things as well. I'll return the favor of course." She smiled and winked at him.

In response, Aiden got up, picking her up in his arms as he stood up.

Hope laughed. "I'll take that as a yes!"

Aiden grinned. "You can take that as a yes," he confirmed.

Hope moaned, her arms wrapped around him.

They kissed all the way up the stairs to the shower.

 _Water…_

Hope moaned and threw her head back as Aiden held her close and made love to her against the wall of the shower. He kissed her neck, the water pouring down on both of them making their bodies glisten.

"Aiden, yes…" Hope moaned. She then took Aiden's face between her hands and kissed him as he continued to make love to her. Wave after wave of pleasure hit her, and she knew how lucky she was to have a man who loved her so much. She never doubted Aiden's love for her. Not anymore.

She tightened her legs around his waist and he got a bit more forceful in his movement, just as his kisses got more intense.

He kissed her mouth her neck, then her mouth again.

Their moans and gasps filled the bathroom, echoing off the tiled walls. When they both reached their goal, they stayed together as one for a moment, kissing, and never wanting to let the other go.

Eventually, Aiden set Hope down, but his kisses didn't cease. He kissed her breast, then over her heart, up her neck, over to her cheeks, and finally back to her mouth.

After a bit of kissing, they cleaned their bodies, making sure to get each other's backs.

"Feeling good now, Baby?" Aiden asked her as he slowly sudsed up her back. "All nice and warm?" He kissed down the back of her shoulder and over the top of her arm.

She smiled over her should at him. "Thanks to you, I am."

He smiled too, and they kissed.

Once Aiden was finished with her back, she washed his back, kissing his shoulder blades, and down his back.

They continued to get clean, then turned off the water and stepped out of the shower.

They grabbed towels and dried each other off.

Hope kissed up his chest, over his heart then up his neck until their lips met, and they kissed some more before she finally pulled away, grabbed her bag, and slipped her underwear on. "Shoot! I forgot my night gown downstairs."

"Do you have to wear one?" Aiden asked, hugging her from behind. "There's nothing I love more than you lying naked in my arms."

Hope smiled. "Since it isn't either of our beds we'll be in, I think it's best we both wear our night attire."

Aiden sighed. "I suppose you're right. What are we going to do about the blankets downstairs? I don't think Jennifer's going to want to use them after we did what we did on them."

Hope smirked. "I will bring them home and wash them then give them back to her."

"I might as well come down with you then," Aiden said. He headed to the bedroom first to get a clean pair of underwear out of his bag. He put them on, then headed down the stairs with Hope to get their night attire.

Hope put her nightgown on, and Aiden slipped his t-shirt and shorts on.

"Let me get you a glass of water," Aiden offered. I know you like a glass by your bedside."

"You know me so well," Hope said with a smile.

"You're the love of my life! Of course I know you well," Aiden said. He got her the water.

Hope grabbed their dirty underwear that they had left on the floor earlier. We can't forget to bring these home. I doubt Jennifer would appreciate us leaving these on the floor," Hope teased.

Aiden laughed. "No, probably not."

They then headed back up the stairs.

"I'm going to brush my teeth," Hope said heading into the bathroom.

"I'll wait my turn since there is only one sink," Aiden replied. He stretched out on the bed. It wasn't the most comfortable bed in the world, but it would do. Anyway, as long as he was next to Hope, he didn't care what the bed felt like.

Suddenly, Hope cried out in a shrill, panicked voice. "No!"

Startled, Aiden quickly bolted off the bed and towards the bathroom. "Hope? Baby, what's wrong?"

Hope was looking in the sink. She then looked at him, her face crumpled. "I took off my promise ring earlier so it wouldn't get dirty when we were planting. I had forgotten I set it on the sink. I wasn't paying attention and I accidentally knocked it into the sink while reaching for my cup to rinse. It fell down the drain. Jennifer for some reason never got a stopper for the drain and it doesn't have the grates over the drain since it's such an old sink."

"Well, that's okay. We can just open the pipe up and get it. You haven't turned the faucet on since it fell, right?" Aiden asked.

Hope shook her head. "Thankfully, no. I was just going to use the glass you already filled for me."

"Well, good! It has to still be there then." He knelt down and, after getting a bucket to put under the P-Trap he undid the top Union connection, and then the bottom one. He pulled the P-trap out and let the water and ring pour into the bucket. He then proudly handed Hope the ring; glad that he at least got something right this time!

"My hero," Hope said with a grin. She held out her right ring finger. "Put it back on me?"

Aiden got down on one knee and took the ring from her. "With pleasure." He slipped the ring back on her right ring finger, then kissed the finger. "It really does look beautiful on you. Then again, anything would." He stood up and kissed Hope, who hungrily returned his kisses.

"I better put the sink back together. I don't think Jen would appreciate it if I didn't!" Aiden said.

Hope laughed. "Good thinking!" Suddenly, her phone rang in the other room. "I better go get that. It could be Ciara." Hope ran off to the bedroom.

Aiden emptied the bucket in the toilet, then put it back under the sink. He was going to put the sink back together, then his phone notified him of a text. He had brought it into the bathroom with him, so he went over to a little stand that was in the bathroom which was wear he left his phone, and checked his text.

 _I just wanted to say goodnight. I'm really glad you and Mom are back together. –Chase_

Aiden smiled, and texted his son back.

 _Goodnight, Son. Me too. Love you._

While Aiden was texting Chase back, Hope came back into the bathroom. She headed to the sink and turned it on to wash her face.

Aiden realized too late what she was doing. He turned to Hope. "No, Hope, wait! I didn't—" He didn't get a chance to finish. He winced at Hope screamed and the water splashed out of the still opened pipe. It got all over the front of her nightgown.

She quickly turned the faucet off, and whipped around to face him; annoyed.

Aiden blushed, and smiled weakly at her. "I didn't get a chance to put the P-Trap back in yet. I got a text from Chase and wanted to text him back first.

Hope did not look amused.

"I'm Sorry?" Aiden asked, shrugging his shoulders, hoping it would appease her.

Hope rolled her eyes, and rang some of the water out of her nightgown.

 **~**Water**~**

"Packing extra shirts finally came in handy," Aiden said as he watched Hope put on a button down shirt of his. Her wet nightgown now hung over the shower rod to hopefully dry overnight. Aiden had dried up the wet floor, and hung up the towels as well.

"I promise not to get on your case anymore when you pack more than you need," Hope said with a smirk. She'd always teased him that he is worse than a woman when it came to packing, but Aiden had insisted that you never know when you might need an extra set of clothes or two. Apparently, he had been right! She wished she had packed another nightgown. Then again, she didn't mind wearing his shirt. It only went to the middle of her thighs, but it smelled like him.

Are you still mad?" he asked as she turned off the light then climbed into bed next to him under the covers. She rested her head on his shoulder, and her hand on his chest. "No. I was never mad; just annoyed. Not annoyed at you. Jus at the situation in general. It was just a stupid accident that I became victim to."

Aiden stroked her hair. "I gotta admit, I wish the water had sprayed a little further up." His hands roamed over her breasts. "Seeing as you're wearing no bra especially. A wet nightgown would be even sexier than a wet t-shirt."

Hope rolled her eyes. "You really are such a pervert. You know that, don't you?"

"Mm, only for you, Baby," he replied, moving on top of her and pressing her hands to the bed with his own. He began kissing down the side of her neck.

Hope closed her eyes. "As much as I want to do this, we can't do this in Jennifer's bed."

"It's not her full-time bed. Anyway, I'm sure we aren't the first people to make love in her bed," Aiden murmured, now running his left hand up her thigh.

Hope moaned. "Maybe not, but still, out of respect for my cousin, please can we just wait until tomorrow when we're back at one of our places?"

"What Jennifer doesn't know won't hurt her. We could have just washed the sheets and brought them back. Or we could take them off. I'm cool making love on a bare bed." He wriggled her eyebrows up and down at her and grinned.

Hope smirked. "Aiden…"

"All right, we'll wait until tomorrow," Aiden grumbled. He then looked at her hopefully. "Can I at least play with your breasts for a while…with my mouth?" He murmured in her ear his hand already working at the button of his/her shirt.

Hope smirked. "Fine."

Aiden grinned. "Thank you." He kissed her softly and lovingly on the lips his hands and fingers still at work on the shirt buttons.

 _Heart…_

The next morning, Hope was the first to wake up. She found herself with her head and hand on Aiden's chest. Sometime during the night he must have taken his t-shirt off, for it was now nowhere to be found.

She kissed the spot that she knew held his heart. She then placed her hand over it, feeling its steady rhythm. She sighed happily. She felt so lucky to have him back in her life. It was odd to think of how she hadn't cared when she had thought he was dead. She supposed a part of her had been upset, but since she had thought he was the serial killer at the time, and since he had tried to kill her without her knowing the reason…it hadn't torn her apart as it would now if he were to die. Now that things had changed, she didn't think she could bare losing him.

Suddenly, she felt his hand in her hair.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he murmured, still sounding a little sleepy.

She smiled up at him. "I'm just thinking how lucky I am to have you back in my life even though I never would have thought that before you came back. You know, under the circumstances and all."

Aiden winced. "You mean after I tried to kill you."

Hope gently stroked his cheek. "Things have changed, and now that I know why you did what I did, and now that I see how much you're not that person anymore…" She paused to kiss him softly on the lips. "I don't think I could ever live without you."

He continued stroking her hair. "Lord willing, you'll never have to worry about that. Though, I never want to live without you either." He grinned. "Hopefully we'll die together when we go."

Hope rested her head on his chest again as he continued to play with her hair. "That's so morbid, but true I suppose." She kissed his chest again.

"I guess we should get up, as much as I hate to say it. I have to be to work in a few hours," Aiden said as he glanced at the clock.

Hope sighed. "I suppose you're right. I don't have to work today, but I do have a few errands that need running."

They kissed for a moment.

Hope then reluctantly got out of bed, then headed into the bathroom to get ready.

Aiden followed after her. They took turns using the toilet and sink, then they dressed, eager to catch the next ferry back home.

Once they were ready, they gathered up their night clothes—Aiden's discarded shirt included—and packed them up. Hope also grabbed the blankets they had made love on so that she could make good on her promise of taking them home and washing them.

Then, after making sure everything was in order, they locked up the cabin ad prepared to leave.

Once they were outside, they started hearing a whimpering sound.

"What is that?" Aiden asked.

"I don't know. It sounds like it's coming from the woods," Hope said, looking toward the area the cries were coming from.

"Do you think it could be a wolf?" Aiden asked.

"I suppose it could be, but I don't think there are any wolves in this area. At least, I've never seen any all the years I've been coming here. I don't remember Jennifer mentioning seeing any either," Hope replied.

They heard the cries again only louder and more intense this time.

"It sounds like an animal in distress for sure. We should check it out," Aiden said.

Hope nodded. "Yeah, I guess we should in case something out there is hurt. We can just leave our stuff on the porch for now." She set her bags down and looked at her watch. "We have fifteen minutes before the next ferry arrives, so we better make this quick."

Aiden set his stuff down as well, then they headed toward the area of the woods that they heard the sound coming from.

 **~**Heart**~**

They stayed close by to each other, looking all around the part of the woods where they heard the crying.

Aiden headed in a direction the sound was coming the loudest, and after a couple twists and turns, he found the source. There was a golden retriever with his paw stuck in a metal trap that looked like it was for coyotes. It was like a bear trap but on a smaller level.

He looked over his shoulder. "Hope! Come here! I found the source. This poor dog is stuck in a trap."

Hope rushed over and winced as she saw the poor whimpering dog with his right front paw stuck in the sharp metal trap. "Oh no! We've got to get him out of there!" she said.

"I'll pull the trap open. Scratch his ears or something to calm him," Aiden ordered.

Hope did as told, and Aiden pulled the trap open.

Hope quickly pulled the dog's paw out with her free hand as she gently scratched the dog's ears with her other hand.

Once the dog's paw was out, Aiden let the trap close again.

They looked at the dog's paw. It was bleeding.

"We need to rap a rag around it and get him to the vet. He doesn't have a collar or tag on. I wonder if he belongs to anybody," Aiden said.

Hope shook her head. "I don't think anyone lives around here. I don't know where he came from. It makes me wonder if someone abandoned the poor thing."

"Well, we can't just leave him here," Aiden reasoned.

"Let's get a rag to tie around his paw, then we'll take him home for now. I'm sure Chase and Ciara won't have any objections," Hope said. "We can also get him to the vet."

Aiden nodded his agreement, and they headed out of the woods, carrying the dog together.

Hope unlocked the cabin and got a rag while Aiden waited outside with the dog. Then, she locked up the cabin again as Aiden tightly tied the rag around the dog's paw.

Hope looked at her watch. "We have five minutes to get to the ferry."

"We better get going then," Aiden said. He slung his backpack over his shoulders and rested one of the handled bags over his arm.

Hope grabbed her bags. "Can you follow us?" She asked the dog. She clicked her tongue and motioned for her to follow him as she headed toward the ferry. Thankfully, the dog followed her.

Aiden stayed behind the dog to make sure the limping dog could make it the whole way.

They made the ferry just in time, and they all piled on.

It was a short ferry ride home. Together they went to Hope's place since Aiden wasn't sure his place allowed animals.

They set their bags down, and the kids ran over to them at the sight of the dog.

"You got us a dog?" Chase asked with excitement.

Ciara looked downward. "It's a boy!"

"What happened to his paw?" Chase asked, gently rubbing the dog's ears.

"We found him caught in a trap in the woods. He didn't seem to have a home, so we brought him here," Hope explained.

"I hate those stupid animal traps! They shouldn't be allowed," Ciara grumbled. She looked up at Hope with hope. "Can we keep him?"

"Yeah, Mom, can we keep him?" Chase pleaded.

Hope and Aiden glanced at each other.

"Well, I'm going to be putting out flyers by the cabin to see if he belongs to anybody," Hope said.

"But if no one responds, can we please keep him? I promise I'll take care of him. You won't have to do a thing!" Ciara promised.

Chase nodded. "And I'll help!"

Hope sighed. "I highly doubt I won't have to do a thing, but we'll see."

Ciara smirked. "We'll wear her down. You'll see," she said to Chase.

Hope looked at Aiden. "There's no reasoning with her."

"Does that surprise you?" Aiden asked with a smirk and an eyebrow raise.

Hope shook her head. "Not one bit!"

Aiden kissed her cheek and placed an arm around her waist. "I better be getting off to work now. Are you going to be okay getting the dog to the vet?"

Hope nodded. "Sure. What's one more errand? Come on. I'll walk you out."

"See you guys later," Aiden said to the kids.

"See you!" the kids muttered, though their attention was on the dog and not Aiden.

Hope and Aiden headed out of the house and Hope closed the door behind them. She turned to Aiden, and they kissed for a moment.

"Mm, you make it so hard for me to leave you and go to work, Baby," Aiden murmured.

Hope smiled, and gently stroked his cheek. "We'll make up for lost time tonight. I promise."

Aiden moaned again, and they kissed some more.

"Call me when you find out about the dog," Aiden said.

"I will. Look at you so concerned. It's one of my favorite things about you," Hope said to with him with a smile.

"My concern?" Aiden asked.

Hope placed a hand over his heart. "Your heart."

"And I love _your_ heart," he said, placing a hand over her heart.

"You should, because it beats for you," she told him, gently placed her hand over his hand that was over her heart.

His eyes lowered with love for her, and he gently placed his freehand over her hand that was over his heart. "Just as mine beats for you, my Love."

They kissed some more.

"This has been a really strange Earth Day and Day after Earth Day," he said with a grin.

Hope nodded. "True, it has. But any Earth Day spent with you is a good day."

"Back at you, Baby!" Aiden said before they kissed once more.

Aiden then turned and left with a promise to see her later that night.

Hope watched him leave until he was in his car and off to work. Then she turned and headed into the house. _Actually_ , she thought to herself with a smile on her face, _it was the best Earth Day yet!_

She closed the door behind her, then, with the smile still on her face, she headed over to join the kids in their playing with the dog.

 _ **~*The End*~**_


End file.
